Exploring Dystopian Literature and Societal Critique (Annotated Bibliography Sample)

Student’s Name: Instructor: Course: Date: Exploring Dystopian Literature and Societal Critique: Annotated Bibliography Chen, Ting, and Ji Yeon Hong. “Rivals Within: Political Factions, Loyalty, and Elite Competition under Authoritarianism.” Political Science Research and Methods, vol. 9, no. 3, 2021, pp. 599–614. Governments that utilize dictatorship and oppressive forms of leadership always demand loyalty from their followers. Chen and Ji explain how loyalty and betrayal characterize political factions in Authoritarian regimes using China as a case study. According to the authors, although authoritarian leaders usually believe that loyalty by their supporters causes cohesiveness, politicians often display disloyalty towards their peers with the goal of getting promotions and maximizing their own self-interests. The authors’ main finding/argument is that in-group competition among political factions forces elites to remain loyal to their superiors while betraying their peers in an effort to maximize personal interests (Chen and Ji 23). This article is relevant to the research topic in that it shows how loyalty and betrayal among political elites significantly influence the strength of people in power and affect societal stability. The article contributes to understanding of the dystopian critique in 1984 and the larger societal context. Essentially, forced loyalty under totalitarian and authoritarian leadership is characterized by an influx of spies whose roles are to identify and punish those who are disloyal to the state for personal gains. In 1984, for example, rebels lack the freedom to express their political standings due to the fear of being arrested and punished by the Thought Police and the Party. Failure to address forced loyalty and oppression leads to societal degradation and instability. Ekins, Emily and Gygi Jordan. “Nearly a Third of Gen Z Favors the Government Installing Surveillance Cameras in Homes.” CATO Institute, 1 June 2023, www.cato.org/blog/nearly-third-gen-z-favors-home-government-surveillance-cameras-1. Accessed 26 November 2023. An extremely powerful government can deny its citizens their privacy in their own homes. This article, published on the cato.org website, describes the opinions of Americans regarding the idea of the American government to install surveillance cameras in people’s homes to reduce illegal behaviours, abuse, and domestic violence. This article is relevant to the research topic as it talks about the behaviours of the government which, when not addressed, can lead to societal instability and degradation. The main finding of the article is that only 14% of Americans support the idea of installing surveillance cameras in every home to monitor the activities of residents. 75% of Americans oppose the idea, 68% of them strongly oppose, and 10% neither oppose nor support it (Ekins and Gygi par. 2). In terms of age, one-third of Generation Z (aged 30 years and below) favor the government’s idea (par. 3). This article contributes to the understanding of the totalitarianism leadership in 1984. As evidenced in the novel, a government that has excessive power like the Party is able to use hidden microphones and telescreens to monitor the movements of citizens everywhere they go. Exerting such a high degree of control infringes on people’s privacy and restricts them from freely engaging in meaningful activities, a factor that hinders societal growth and development. Hassan, Mai, et al. “Political Control.” Annual Review of Political Science, vol. 25, no. 1, 2022, pp. 155-174. Oppressive governments always utilize a number of strategies to maximize compliance and minimize resistance by the people. Hassan et al. describe various tactics that political leaders use to achieve maximum control of the citizens. The key points that emerge from the article include repression such as arrests, torture, and disappearances; indoctrination; coercive distribution of state resources; and infiltration such as the use of community elites to force compliance. Other tactics include language restrictions and mind control as well as information restriction and manipulation (157-170). The main finding/argument of the authors of this article is that the degree of political control under an oppressive government can be understood on the basis of the deviations of state actions and the level of violence (155). The authors further assert that collective action against repression by the state can lead to long-term wars and political instability. Other unintended impacts include negative societal relations and economic effects (173). Political control tactics described in this article are the true characteristics of a totalitarian government, a factor that makes the article relevant to the research topic. The article, therefore, contributes significantly to understanding the nature of political control in 1984 and its negative impacts on societal economy and relationships. Kelman, Herbert C. “The Policy Context of Torture: A Socialpsychological Analysis.” International Review of the Red Cross, vol. 87, no. 857, 2005, pp. 123-134. A state can use torture as a policy to exert control on its followers leading to authoritarianism and totalitarianism forms of leadership. In this article, Kelman explores the use of policy by the state to torture citizens and the socio-psychological impacts of this leadership strategy. According to Kelman, the use of policy as a form of torture only occurs in a conducive atmosphere that provides favorable conditions for such acts (123). The author argues that in order to adequately explain torture, one should not only focus on perpetrators’ characteristics but also on the context and environment in which torture is practiced (124). An important finding of the author is that the perceptions of people in authority contribute to the persistent use of torture by the state. The reason is that these state figures provide the necessary apparatus and recruit/train torturers who dehumanize citizens (123). This source is relevant to the research topic in that it documents evidence that explains how people in authority who are charged with the responsibility of protecting citizens contribute to creating an environment and providing resources that support the implementation of torture as a policy to repress citizens. The source contributes to the understanding of how powerful state leaders utilize their positions to execute physical and psychological torture on vulnerable citizens leading to a decline in societal morals and speedy societal degradation as evidenced in 1984. Orwell, George. 1984. Penguin, 1949. Novels are commonly used to narrate political, social, and economic issues that people face in society. George Orwell used 1984 to describe the authoritarian and totalitarian practices in Oceania, London. The author allows the reader to understand the dehumanization that Winston undergoes under the repressive political culture of the Party. He argues that normal rules do not normally apply in authoritarian and totalitarian cultures. Additionally, there is no room for comfort in a repressive society (292). The novel is relevant to the research topic because it clearly portrays dystopian fiction by exploring how authoritarianism and totalitarianism contribute to social degradation when nothing is done to resolve them. Critical analysis of the novel rev...